


Adverse Possession

by greyorchids



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crimes & Criminals, Dominant Kylo Ren, F/M, I will pepper in some crack treated seriously, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, McGuffin Fuckin, PWP, Possessive Behavior, Private Investigators, Rey is bluffing with her muffin, Rough Sex, Slow Burn, darkish humour, very briefly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:47:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyorchids/pseuds/greyorchids
Summary: Of course, it's not as easy as Luke said it would be. When is it ever? The building is five floors and the windows are dark so it's probably empty. She's got the key from Luke, but no clear plan. Luckily for Rey, a year working for him means she's good at slipping through the cracks. She's had plenty of practice.Rey works for Luke doing some less than legal activities. When she gets caught breaking and entering by Luke's wayward nephew, Rey realizes in order to get out of trouble, she will need to improvise.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 46
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my beta [fear of being bitten](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fear_of_being_bitten) who more than once had to intervene and help me write because I am incompetent. Thank you, thank you, thank you. She also made a sweet moodboard that I AM OBSESSED WITH.
> 
> TW: The theme of ambiguous consent and pushing boundaries is prevalent in this story, and there is a perceived attempt at sexual assault in chapter two. I love this shit, but if it makes you uncomfortable please hit that back button, baby.

_“The worst crimes; are the crimes of the heart.” - Jane Austen_

🍆

Of course, it's not as easy as Luke said it would be. When is it ever? The building is five floors and the windows are dark so it's probably empty. She's got the key from Luke, but no clear plan. Luckily for Rey, a year working for him means she's good at slipping through the cracks. She's had plenty of practice.

Rey moves around some boxes, looking for the all-important filing cabinet that contains her mission - although that’s a pretty strong word for what is happening here. What’s a word that describes moderate to severe criminal activity for the sake of the greater good? Luke never took to her jabs about _Robin Hood_ , but Rey wants to believe that what they do is different. 

_Did Luke say third or fourth floor?_ She sighs. It’s _probably_ a bunch of documents she could reprint at the office. Luke is terrible with technology -

“Can I help you?” A deep voice cuts into the silence and Rey swears, hand pressing into her chest to stop her lungs from leaping out of her body. 

“Jesus. Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to creep up on a woman, _alone_ , at _night_?” Her voice is cutting but her heart races as she turns to look at the source. He’s big. Like, a bit obscenely big, if you ask her. Rey totally knows the type, too. He’s from the same camp as all the other gym bros on Tinder who think working out constitutes a personality trait. Still, he’s got the height, she’ll give him that. Well, that and a certified case of Resting Bitch Face. 

He mistakes her damning appraisal with fear, and he relaxes his stance as if to make her comfortable. Idiot. 

“Hasn’t anyone ever told _you_ not to break and enter?” The mystery man answers. Rey purses her lips. 

“It isn’t breaking and entering if I have permission from the owner.” Rey steels herself, baiting this roid-head to give her an excuse to cause real trouble. 

“Well, that seems unlikely. Since I am the owner.” His voice is cool, but his eyes have narrowed. Rey breaks into a small smile, relaxing slightly where she stands. She knows exactly who he is. 

“So you’re Ben Solo. Troubled nephew and full-time squatter.” 

“Who the fuck -” Ben steps towards her so she returns the threat, cutting him off with a wave of her hand as she steps forward too.

“I think I was pretty clear. You don’t own this building, but you _have_ been squatting in it for the past few months. Luke’s talked about his loser nephew before, but it’s nice to have a face to the name.” She levels her gaze on him like he is last week’s trash.

He stares at her for a moment, and if Rey is gauging his reaction right, he’s caught between disbelief and rising anger. She may have pushed it a bit too far. Ben’s jaw clenches but he remains silent, staring at her as if he can see straight through to the other side. 

They look at each other for a moment, unspeaking. Rey tenses on the balls of her feet, ready to spring to action should _Mr. Muscle_ get any ideas. 

After a long beat, he leans against the wall, face covered in shadow, “You must be the girl.” He says it more to himself than her, and she bristles. 

“I have a name -” She is cut off by his huff of annoyance. 

“I’ll stop you right there, Mary Poppins. I don’t know if Luke is hiring straight out of high school, or if you are some kind of make-a-wish situation, but I am working a job. A professional job. That someone has paid me to do. So why don’t you go back to Luke and let him know that I’ll be using this building for as long as I need it, and if he has a problem with that, he can come here and tell me himself.” Ben’s face is hard and focused and Rey can feel her blood boiling in her veins. Luke was right. He’s insufferable.

He glances at his watch, “Unless you’re going to be late for your curfew.” She’s shaking her head before she can stop herself. 

Rey steps closer towards him, half-convinced she might strangle him to death with her bare hands, “Just so we’re clear. You don’t know the first thing about me. I’m older than I look, but you can bet your ass this baby face gets me out of trouble when I need it to, and I am _also_ doing a job. A professional job. That someone has paid me to do,” she echoes his words back to him as she stands up against his towering form, arms crossing, “but since nuance and context seem to evade you, I’ll keep it simple; I don’t give a shit what you think as long as you stay _out of my way.”_

When he stares at her a second too long, she takes it as her cue to save some battles for another day. 

“I’ll tell your uncle you said hi.” She adds before she makes her way down the stairwell and away from his looming form.

What an absolute dick.

🍆

Luke rolls his eyes when Rey tells him what happened. 

“Do you want me to remove him by force?” She asks, picking at her shorts and praying that Luke will say yes. 

“Let’s let him simmer for a bit,” Luke pinches his nose. “Did he say what he was doing there?” 

“He said he is working a job.” Rey’s gum snaps as the image of Mr. Muscle fills her vision.

Luke nods half-heartedly, “Figured as much, let’s go with plan B.” 

Now it is Rey’s turn to roll her eyes. The thing is...Plan B isn’t that different from plan A, except plan B involves sneaking in instead of walking in, and evading Mr. Muscle instead of engaging with him. Rey dislikes this plan for a number of reasons, and even though she begs - 

_“Come on, Luke, you are taking all of the fun out of this!”_

Plan B prevails. 

Luke makes her wait over a week. A _week_ of lost time, where Rey scopes out the building, scopes out the block and then scopes out the neighbourhood. It only takes half a day but she goes back for nine days straight. There is very little she can determine about Mr. Muscle’s schedule, but she has a plan. She’s ready.

“Listen, Rey. We have worked together long enough that you know when I _mean_ something. So I’m hoping you know I _mean it_ when I say I want you to steer clear of Ben.”

 _Ben._ Not Mr. Muscle. “Is he some kind of secret assassin, or -” 

“Or,” Luke answers, abrupt and cold. 

Rey huffs in response, “Then why won’t you let me have a gun?” 

“Because you don’t need it.” Rey groans and cracks her neck, frustrated, “If he’s such a Bad Guy, then why _wouldn’t you_ want me to protect myself?” 

“I don’t want you to hurt him,” Luke replies softly, lighting a cigarette and rolling his window down.

“I could leave the gun unloaded.” Rey counters.

“I don’t want him to hurt _you.”_ Luke meets her eyes and she feels herself deflate. Alright. Fine. Cool. 

“You win this time, old man.” She leans back in her seat and stares out into the night. It’s after 2 a.m., the streetlights dot the block and the occasional flicker of light makes her eye twitch. 

“The package is in an old filing cabinet across from -” 

“Across from the storage room on the fourth floor.” Rey finishes and smiles sweetly when Luke sends her a look.

“Text me. If I don’t hear from you within the hour I will send the cavalry in.” Luke takes a deep drag and Rey laughs. 

“I’m sure Finn will be happy to know you hold him in such high regard.” Luke coughs more than he laughs but he still unlocks the car door and gives her his best _get going_ face. For all intents and purposes, Finn is better than the cavalry, and he’s also her _only_ backup. Rey steps out of the car and waves silently as Luke drives to the nearby diner. 

Rey breathes in the night air and begins walking in the direction of Luke’s old building. There are a few windows that have been knocked out and Rey has noted a couple of good-looking entrance points. She hopes for his sake, that _Ben_ (“Mr. Muscle” really suits him better though, doesn’t it?) is nowhere to be found. 

Rey quietly lifts herself onto the dumpster near the building so she can climb up the pipe closest to her target window. The air is cool, and the slightest breeze makes a wave of goosebumps break over her skin. Her heart begins to pick up speed and she stands on the dumpster, still as a statue. 

Is she nervous? 

She hasn’t felt nervous...in a long time. It is a humbling feeling that sets her mind racing in time against her pulse. This isn’t even that dangerous of a job. And yet - 

And yet. 

Rey moves up the pipe and tries to leave her nerves in the alley as she slips through the window, quiet and without notice. 

The building is still, and Rey doesn’t waste time. She quickly pulls out her phone and texts Luke’s number of the week. 

> On the porch

She quietly moves out of the room and begins to explore the second floor for signs of life. There are none that she can see, so she makes her way into one of the stairwells, light on her toes, ascending to the fourth floor with a staccato breath. 

Rey opens the door and steps into the dark hallway, heartbeat loud in her ears. Filing cabinet. Filing cabinet. Filing cabinet. 

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

That _nearly_ familiar voice cuts through the air so fast that she can’t help the gasp that escapes her as she turns fast on her feet, facing the outline of one Mr. Muscle. He is standing in front of the stairwell door like he was always there, and she somehow walked through him the first time.

She can feel the prick of fear press into her fingers, her throat caught on nothing.

This is kind of the worst-case scenario. She spots a tie hanging from one of his fists and she sways on her feet as a pulse of terror in her blood sets her off balance. It’s black, the gunmetal grey and red accents barely noticeable in this light. 

She needs to think. She needs to think _fast._

Against any rational thought, she goes to the only place her mind will afford her in her state of panic. 

“Hello, handsome.”


	2. Chapter 2

Rey puts her eighth-grade drama class skills to their limits as she attempts a casual and flirtatious stance. 

He stalls for a second, face unreadable. And then his eyes narrow. 

“You don't actually expect me to believe you're here to seduce me?” He states more than asks, stepping forward.

To Rey’s credit, she only flinches internally. Who says _seduce_ anymore?

“Give me a minute, and I won't need to convince you of anything, big boy.” She volleys back, doing her best doe-eyes and parted lips. She prays to god this is what people look like when they are trying to _seduce_ someone. Why on earth did she think this would work? Abort. Abort. _Abort._

He laughs lightly, taking a step closer, “You’re here for the package.” He states plainly and eyes her like she might have a hidden bomb in her skin tight leggings and cropped t-shirt. 

“Oh, I’m here for a package, alright.” Rey licks her lips and stares at Mr. Muscle’s belt buckle, “I don’t suppose you could help me out with that, could you?” 

Her face is going red, she can feel it. But she can’t just give up _now._

When he inches forward, she does her Emmy nominated stoic face impression, meeting his eyes once more. Closer, they don’t seem so dark. They are nice. Pretty, even. She blinks and wills her breathing to adopt a less guilty rhythm. 

“And how _exactly,”_ he steps into her space now, forcing her to step back, “do you think I can help you?” 

The masculine scent of him floods her lungs and it clings to her ribs as she tries to breathe. Her mind blanks out. What’s the first rule of improv? Yes, and? 

“I was thinking more along the lines of how I can help _you.”_ She drops to her knees and _thank fuck_ he has the decency to look shocked. The view from this angle makes her throat tighten. Shaking in her skin, she runs an unsteady hand up to his leg, her entire central nervous system shutting down actively as she moves to palm him over his jeans, and - 

With a tight pull from the back of her head, he lifts her to her feet. She looks up slightly, now suddenly face to face and she flinches before she can stop herself. 

“At least let me buy you dinner first.” His voice is in her ear as he walks her back against the hallway wall and flips her around so that he’s behind her. 

He presses her into the concrete, kicking her feet apart, “Do you have any weapons?” He asks, and she has to clear her throat to speak.

“No.” 

As he pins her with his body she feels something that makes her mind do a double-take. _Holy shit._ Is he hard? A few seconds pass and she’s sure of it. Rey feels flush with satisfaction. It _was_ working. For a second. Kind of. 

Sighing, Rey stops resisting. She’s going to have to go through the motions with him, but it is more of an annoyance than anything else. He can’t be that bad - he’s Luke’s nephew for crying out loud.

He ties her wrists behind her back and Rey breathes into the wall. He pats her down, taking his time moving from limb to limb, even though there is very clearly nowhere for her to hide much of anything in this outfit. 

Satisfied, he flips her around and braces a hand on the wall near her face. 

“If you’re not in the mood, I can come back later,” she deadpans and catches his eyes. His face is stone and she wonders, distantly, what exactly her plan should be _now._

Without much warning, he lifts her into his arms and she makes a terribly unbecoming yelp. 

“Relax, I’m just moving you.” He is quick to clarify. 

Having her arms tied behind her makes it difficult to maneuver and she slumps against him. His chest is warm. So are his arms. Does this guy have stocks in protein powder or what is his deal?

He walks her across the hall to another room and she’s unceremoniously dumped on a mattress. Her heart completely stills. Something lights up inside her brain that clears the noise and suddenly the situation doesn’t seem so harmless. Her blood begins to sting her from the inside out with adrenaline. Or fear. Or a healthy serving of both.

An unbelievable weight lands on her back and she twists her face to the side to breathe as her body is pressed into the bed beneath her. If she was panicking at any point before this moment, it pales in comparison to the explosion of fear that crashes through her under his massive form. 

She is the stupidest person on earth. How could she have underestimated him? Hot shame burns through her as her mind flips through all of the ways he might prove himself to be a bigger threat than even Luke had warned her of. Her mind blanks as she realizes she has never been in danger like she is now. With no backup. No plan. No way to communicate. A pulse of excitement fades as quickly as it arrives.

His hands begin to move over her and the bravado fueling her confidence shatters into pieces, “Please don’t do this.” 

It is shocking how different her voice sounds even to her own ears and he goes completely still behind her. Now that he’s stopped moving, she can feel her body shake beneath him, vibrating and no longer under her control.

“For fucks sake.” He swears as he lifts her hips slightly off the mattress, his hand reaching down her leg - 

“Please, I’ll go, you’ll never see me again -“ Her voice cracks. She starts babbling nonsense until he removes his hand, wrapped around her money clip and phone, and holds it in front of her face. 

“Your ID.” He answers, voice deep and seemingly unaffected. Rey swallows, closing her eyes in relief. 

As he moves away from her, Rey scoots up against a wall and stares at him, eyes wide. The blood in her body is pulsing through her at such a chaotic rate she can barely hear over the rush of it. Her limbs tingle and her vision is nearly white-out bright. It feels like she’s in a dream.

She pulls her legs up against her chest and watches him as he walks to the other side of the room. All she can manage to do is breathe, and watch, as he flips through her thin money clip. She takes in her surroundings. The mattress is clearly what he has been using to sleep. Nearby there are water bottles and a telescope. It’s his stakeout spot. 

After a beat, Ben tosses the money clip onto a makeshift desk nearby. He opens her phone, and after a few seconds, she sees him typing. 

“Hey! Don’t touch my phone.” She lets out an annoyed huff when he doesn’t look at her. Another moment passes and he removes the battery out of the back. Rey swears and drops her face to her knees. Hopefully, he isn’t the kill-you-and-dump-your-body-off-a-bridge kind of guy. She really can’t handle that tonight. 

She lifts her head as he approaches her. Long limbs, laptop in hand. He pulls a rolling chair out and sits on it at the foot of the mattress. 

“Nice to meet you, Rey.” His eyes search her face and she stares back, his expression unreadable.

“I’d love for you to tell me about what you and Luke are working on these days.” He continues and she glances in the direction of the stairwell. 

“I’m just here to collect that package and I'll be out of your hair.” She replies softly. 

“Which package is that again?” He asks quickly and she blushes despite herself, “Is that _really_ the method Luke is pushing these days? Offering oral out of the gate to strange men? Seems awfully dangerous.” 

Her eyes snap to his before she sags in defeat, “Luke is going to kill me.” Ben’s hands type furiously on his keyboard. 

“Let’s hope not literally,” he continues typing as he talks. “So tell me about yourself, Rey. How did you meet Luke? How long have you worked for him?”

Rey replies with silence and the typing continues. 

“Do you know much about Luke? Does he know much about _you?”_

“I’m not giving you anything.” She spits, annoyed and growing restless.

“We’ll see.” He replies, cool as a cucumber. The clicking stops.

“Rey Johnson, 26 years old, 897 Birch Street Unit B, you’re an organ donor - that’s nice, in foster care since you were seven, no priors, no known relatives -”

“Shut the fuck up.” Rey grinds out and her outburst stops him, if only temporary.

“Hit a nerve?” He asks, with no hint of amusement in his features. 

“Just let me go.” She lets her head fall back against the wall, her arms are uncomfortable and beginning to cramp. Now this fucker knows where she lives. 

“Not until you tell me what Luke’s up to.” 

“Please untie me, it hurts.” She replies, gritting her teeth, “At least loosen it, _please.”_ She tries to meet his eyes, the agony of the situation making that part very difficult. 

He breathes out, face calculating.

Rey remains still as he approaches her. The laptop rests on the chair like a cursed object and she glares at it as if she could smite it out of existence.

“Get on your knees.” He commands and Rey snaps back to earth, a dark light coursing through her spine at his words. She obeys, kneeling, and otherwise still. As he loosens the binds around her wrist, Rey recalibrates and decides on a new tactic - force. 

Before she can talk herself out of it, she twists out of the bind of his tie and turns to face him, fuming and ready. She has two goals. Get her shit. Get to the stairs. 

Rey punches as hard as she can, and when her fist connects to his face the shock of pain radiates up to her shoulder. But it distracts him long enough. She jumps up and makes a beeline for her phone, just reaching the desk as the weight of his body crushes her into it. 

“You really need to work on your communication skills.” He pulls at her arms, pushing her over the desk, his hair and breath on her skin. Every corded muscle of him is against her and the heat of him overwhelms her senses. She needs to be more aggressive. 

She bucks her head back and the crack that fills her ears provides temporary hope. Ben groans, his weight leaving her and she turns on him, kicking out his knee to send him to the floor with a loud thud. 

Rey grabs her phone and ID before she turns to run when an iron vice grips her ankle and she falls to the floor. The sting of it causes her eyes to fill and she swears under her breath as Ben pulls her back by the leg. She’s going to be bruised for days after this.

“Would you believe this has gone better than the last few dates I’ve had?” Rey taunts and pushes away from him, the blood from his face starting to drip on the floor. 

“You’ve got quite the mouth on you, don’t you?” He rolls on top of her and bears down, his weight crushing her into the floorboards.

“Too bad you turned me down earlier, you could have found out what my mouth can do.” It’s the adrenaline. There is no other excuse for what she’s saying or doing. But it stalls him enough to give her a chance to pull up her legs and get her feet at his hips. With a sharp push, she extends and sends him backward. 

This is it. Her chance. She grabs what she can and makes a beeline for the stairs. She can distantly hear him get up behind her but she’s too afraid to look. She shoves her money clip back into the pocket of her overpriced leggings and places the battery back in her phone. 

“We should really do this again sometime.” She calls out as she slams open the stairwell door and takes off down the steps two or three at a time.

Her phone blinks to life and she moves as fast as physics will allow. Rey goes to her texts and nearly trips down the stairs. Ben must have texted Luke in their barely coded shorthand. 

> Nobody’s home, no mail.

Her chest fills with ice. 

Suddenly she hears the door slam open above her and she picks up her pace. The loud echo of Ben’s voice reaches her before his words do, and then it hits her.

A threat. “Your place or mine?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed :) You can follow me on Tumblr [here.](https://grey-orchids.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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